Nandapur: A total of 648 teachers in the undivided Koraput region have sought transfer to their home districts on medical grounds, raising concerns over potential disruption to education in tribal areas.
To verify their medical claims, the state government has constituted a special medical board, which will conduct health assessments at Shaheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital (SLNMCH), Koraput, from July 2 to July 7.
The board will examine the applicants’ conditions before their transfer requests are considered.
The development has drawn criticism from local stakeholders, who fear that a large-scale transfer of teachers could adversely affect the education system in the tribal-dominated region.
Jeypore-based lawyer and human rights activist Anup Patra has written to the President, Prime Minister, Union Education Minister, Chief Minister, School and Mass Education Minister, Chief Secretary, Education Secretary and the collectors of the four districts, urging immediate intervention.
He has also approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging that the proposed transfers could weaken the education system in the region. The NHRC has registered the complaint under Diary No. 14232/IN/2026 for consideration.
Sources said the applicants are teachers from other districts currently posted in the four districts of the undivided Koraput region, who have sought transfers to their home districts on medical grounds.
Of the 648 applicants, 219 are serving in Koraput district, 179 in Nabarangpur, and 125 each in Rayagada and Malkangiri districts.
The proposed transfers have sparked resentment across the region.
Human rights activists and local intellectuals said that while the government claims to be strengthening education in tribal-dominated districts, a large-scale return of teachers recruited from outside the region to their home districts could severely impact the local education system.
Questioning the unusually high number of applications, they asked how 648 teachers serving in Koraput, known for its healthy natural environment, could simultaneously develop medical conditions warranting transfers.
They demanded an inquiry into the circumstances behind the mass applications.
The activists said that while employees have the right to seek transfers, the Education Department must strictly adhere to existing transfer norms.
They urged the medical board to conduct rigorous assessments and called on the state government and district administrations to ensure complete transparency in the process.
Failure to do so, they warned, could seriously disrupt the education system in the undivided Koraput region.